Bing & Ruth – Dorsal EP
David Moore is spoiling us. Barely six months on from his jaw-droppingly beautiful No Home Of The Mind LP, he’s back with a similarly gorgeous three-track EP recorded during the same sessions. Less obviously cinematic, these cuts apparently didn’t “jive as well with the album material, but they worked well in relation to each other”, which gave rise to the Dorsal EP. And, just like punishingly high standards of No Home Of The Mind, it’s another piano lover’s delight. Moore now leads a cast of just five players having previously used far more, but does indulge in up to 17 different pianos though, continuing to put his New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music education to use in their arrangement.
The title-track here, like “Weighout” after it, is thus a masterclass in soothing ambience, beautiful drones picked out by blissful piano notes. Headphone music for total immersion, close your eyes and be transported to a sunny cloud-world, pillowy drones suffocating the swooning sustains of Moore’s keys. Every bit the equal of his minimal contemporaries, “Torche II” is in turn isolated in reverb, its pin-drop playing a show of defiance in the face of clutter and, often, melody itself. Contemplative and peaceful, Moore plays like no-one’s listening, his work as big as a recital hall and yet as intimate as one’s own heartbeat.
Best track: “Dorsal”
~The Dorsal EP is out now via 4AD.~